Flex head ratchet spanners, are they a worthwhile addition to a tool box?

I’ve been thinking about a Facom set. What worries me is that the combination width of the ratchet and the body may limit its usefulness and any benefit the ratchet might bring.

Do they just end up gathering dust in your tool box?

Every now and then they are the best tool for the job. When space is tight and you can only just get one had in with little wiggle room. Worth having IMO but don’t expect to use them loads. Facom ones will be quite spendy, Halfords ones are just fine, even the Aldi ones do the job (where you can buy a set for less than the price of a single Facom).

Don’t do much car mechanicing these days, but I find for everything else I hardly use my socket set anymore since I got my Aldi set. Far easier and more convenient to use, but obviously where access is restricted and you need the usual socket set extensions then only a socket set will do.

They’re brilliant. Halfords ones are perfectly respectable. Have even used them on the van which warrants railway-equipment levels of torque. Get ones with the detents that hold the head at a particular angle – the ones that just have a stiff pivot are annoying.

I have the Halfords pro ones, used them for bike and car stuff and loads of other things, building ikea furniture etc.
I broke one and took it back to Halfords and before I even finished my first sentence to them they’d gone off and swapped it for a new one without asking any questions or asking fot a receipt. Top service!

I spent 14 years working on aircraft engines, which as you can imagine are an utter bastard for access, ergonomically designed, they are not.

There was nothing I couldn’t get at with either a standard ratchet spanner, or a universal (wobbly) socket on a long extension. The limitation of the ratchet spanner is really the number of teeth, you want one with a decent number of teeth, snap on frinstance had a bit too many teeth, I had a cheap Britool one that was peachy.

Limitation of the wobbly socket is torque (when removing bolts), if it’s a tight bugger, there’s a chance you’ll burst it.

We had all sorts of home made, buffed down sockets and spanners too, wee tools you’d use once in a blue moon, but great when you needed them.

Tried a set of flexi ratchets, never used them really. YMMV.

Don`t use them that much , a full set would be a waste I think , 8,10,13mm OK for access limited spaces, spend half your time flipping them over to get the right direction , and if they have little levers they get knocked a lot.
Best thing I have bought recently is one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Facom-FCMSXL171-Sockets-and-Accessories/dp/B00HQBQC4E/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=facom%2Bratchet&qid=1574264483&sr=8-3&th=1

1/2″ for bigger stuff and the extending handle really helps when stuff is tight and you are tired
the 3/8 is good too , no good for those who overdo the tightening though.

Brilliant tools but dont do a baz and wind a bolt so far out you cant get the spanner off and you cant wind it back in again…

I’ve 4 versions:

Original ones that are two halves riveted together. Heavy duty but pointless.

Double ended set with no crank. OK, but of limited use.

Open end with crank at the ratchet end. Small lever to switch from on to off. Occasional use, but a bit pants.

Open end with ‘floppy’ ratchet end. Dogs gonads.

Tesco were doing a set for £12
5 I think, 5′ degree pick. Up iirc, they were on a special offer
Bought for a mate so cannot comment on the longevity of them

Thanks for the input guys. I’ll have a look at the Halfords ones too

I have a good selection of ratchets, extensions and sockets, but occasionally have found they have limitations where access is tight.

spend half your time flipping them over to get the right direction

Halfords ones have a serration knurled into the leading edge of the handle so in theory you know which way it’ll work. Hugely dependant on my befuddled brain though.

Nearly bought some to do the starter motor on the van. Persevered with a socket set and a lot of swearing and removing things which were int he way and did it without.
In particular circumstances very useful indeed, but that’s once I’ve really, really wished for a set in 20 years of having cars and bikes.

Open end with crank at the ratchet end. Small lever to switch from on to off. Occasional use, but a bit pants.

Open end with ‘floppy’ ratchet end. Dogs gonads.

Exact opposite experience for me. Unless you actually need the flex, it’s annoying. My fixed head ratchet has a lip on it which prevents it sliding down the bolt which is very handy. The flex head one doesn’t (no lever so you have to be able to flip it over) so can be a nuisance to keep in place. Plus it’s easier to set the lever than it is to see the direction arrow on the other one.

I’ve also got a Halford’s 3/8″ flex head socket ratchet. Occasionally useful, but if you’re trying to get the engine mount off an E90 330d without removing the steering rack or engine, it’s a life saver!

the latest generation of ratchet spanners have gearless mechanisms , i.e. no “click” when rotating the tool so you have an infinite angle of engagement for working in ultra tight spaces.

I’ve got a set but I never use them, the only time I ever think “that’d be useful here” it’s too straight-on so there’s no leverage.

That’s not to say that the next thing I do might not be perfect for it. It seems like I’m going to have to cut off a pinkie and grow an extra elbow to change the plugs next time

Handy for pulling things up on screwed rod or long studs. Though with the right technique nothing a ring key can’t do.

We have a mixture of the different types of ratchet spanners in the tool cabinet at work. They’re all handy, but I prefer the fixed crank ones with the lever to change direction.
The Halfords Pro ones i got 20 odd years ago, when I was contracting, are still in my garage, though they haven’t been used much for the last 10 years.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-w019-5-ratchet-spanner-set-2-pieces/2756x#product_additional_details_container

I’ve had a pair of these or the older version of for probably 10 years. 4 sizes per spanner, they’ve seen a lot of use on our cars and at work. The 10mm end is just starting to show its age.

I know they’re not flex head but direction change is by a lever and I find them very handy.

Edit:- looking closely at the pics mine have a lever on both sides (except the one I broke). So they’ve changed a bit.

I have both fixed and flexi in my box. Fixed are the default with the flexi only coming out for tricky to reach jobs. The flexi would do most of the jobs the fixed do but not as stable when really pushing them.

i have both fixed and flexy.

to echo above – fixed are the default

How ever on the landy there are some jobs that are not necessarily impossible without them – they are made much nicer.

As above the lack of lip is piss annoying but understandable.

IF you need the flex due to lack of access – getting the bolt back in becomes a night mare.

Was the right tool for removing 1 bolt on the steering rack on a frontera without removing the subframe – any other way would have needed 4 ft of extensions to get it to a place in the engine bay where that wasnt occupied by engine, Drive shaft, Steering shaft or inner arch. (the book said remove subframe)

I have the Halfords pro ones, used them for bike and car stuff and loads of other things, building ikea furniture etc.
I broke one and took it back to Halfords and before I even finished my first sentence to them they’d gone off and swapped it for a new one without asking any questions or asking fot a receipt. Top service!

This in spades.

I’ve got one and a half sets of the straight Halfords Pro ones that were used in anger for work, never missed a beat. Well, except when I put a 2′ long pipe on the 17mm spanner and used the ratchet end. It went “pink” and didn’t work again. Halfords replaced it without question.

I’ve now got work issued Facom tools and the are made of soft cheese. In fact cheesy soft cheese. The chrome plate falls off if you look at them hard.

I’d read that Facom had been bought over by Stanley and like Britool, their quality had slipped. Facom have two ranges, their French manufactured stuff which is still good and their expert range which is so so

Facom bought Britool in 1991, Stanley bought Facom in 2005, as time goes by they all source from different places , that include all brands Snap-on etc.
I have both Halfords pro and Facom tools – for the direct equivalents the Facom are the pro tools, the Halfords are good for the price and level of guarantee , the ratchets dont last as long nor are they as good as Facom, but they are 1/3 the price .

Personally I tend to use proper socket set or ordinary combination spanners ahead of my ratchet spanners. I have both fixed and flex options, but they’re relatively cheap ones

I’ve always preferred 6 points to 12 points and the ratchet spanners I have are all 12 point, unless it’s tightening or loosening without putting any real force into it

I had a look at a couple of the Facom ratchet spanners that I have, one fixed, one flex, neither are stamped France unlike some older combination spanners that I bought getting on for thirty years ago. Is disappointed that the pro range is no longer made in France.

I have used them, and for very specific fasteners they may be ‘that’ tool that does the job.

My regular, ‘fixed’ head ratchet spanners are used an awful lot though.

However if your wanting some new toys, I’d suggest that a set of pass-through sockets and associated wrench is even more useful.
All sorts of unsual situations where I’ve found them to be the answer!

While we’re doing flexy things, these are the absolute bollocks

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/5pc-Flexible-Hex-Double-Head-Wrench-Set-Spanner-Flexi-Head-Garage-Tools-Chrome/1188656980?iid=191535399074&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=191535399074&targetid=594043211430&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9046896&poi=&campaignid=6466521491&mkgroupid=74856630702&rlsatarget=pla-594043211430&abcId=1140486&merchantid=137673476&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuYTflZb85QIVQj0MCh08PQlmEAkYAiABEgLdDfD_BwE

Don’t use when you’d have to swing on a normal allen key or wrench as they’re not massively sturdy- but do use every time you’d have used the ball-end on an allen key and instantly regretted it, because this way you get actual good bolt engagement. I’ve had mine 20 years, love ’em.